SWAN NOTES: Badger rescued at Paxton House

A badger had fallen into the Victorian underground ice house at Paxton House,

Elfrieda Waren

Published:15:46Monday 25 July 2016

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This Saturday (July 30) there’s a fantastic chance to get up close with the animals of the Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust.

The charity’s Ramparts Business Park HQ will be open from 11.30am-2pm for the public to get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the Trust and the animals it rescues and ultimately releases back into the wild.

Current ‘guests’ that visitors can see include hedgehogs of varying ages, a family of baby rabbits, accidentally dug up from their burrow, cygnets and the gulls and of course no Swan Trust Open Day would be complete without the gorgeous Errol the tawny owl, who became the Centre’s mascot when it was decided that because of his injury he would need to stay in captivity for the rest of his life.

With home-made cakes and teas/coffees on sale as well as stalls and tombola, the Open Day is a great way for all the family to learn about Berwick wildlife. The Open Day will be followed by the Trust’s AGM at 2.30pm.

Talking of ‘behind-the-scenes’ work, as a newbie volunteer I’m quickly learning that in addition to all the young gulls that have taken a tumble from rooftops or ducklings that have lost their parents, there are sometimes more unusual rescues for the Centre to deal with. One such call came late afternoon on the hottest day of the year so far from staff at Paxton House: a badger had fallen into their Victorian underground ice house! Fortunately the badger was uninjured, and was able to be sent on its way in Paxton’s grounds after its experience.